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Sure, those words came out of the mouth of a customs agent after I took some of my first steps through Baltimore/Washington International Airport today, but they were still great to hear because it simply acknowledged the fact that I was home, back in the United States, to stay, for good.
As has been the case through most of the trip back from Baghdad, there was a lot of hurrying up and waiting going on. To make a long story short, I waited about an hour for my luggage to make its way down the conveyor belt, had to pay for a ticket back to Norfolk with my own money (it’s okay though, I get reimbursed for it), and now my flight doesn’t leave until 8:45. Oh, and I have to make a stop in Philadelphia because US Airways doesn’t fly direct from here to Norfolk.
Tonight, everything should be good in the world again. I can’t wait just to kick back, relax, watch some DVDs and sleep. More later!!!
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I’m at the Al Udeid internet cafe again, and we’re all getting packed and ready to leave. I bought a couple DVDs today to pass the time…War of the Worlds and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. War of the Worlds was cheesy but I needed some good intense scenes of aliens killing humans to wake me up, and Hitchhiker’s Guide was just plain hilarious. I needed to see both of those. Other than that, I’ve been “touring” Al Udeid, and just chilling all day. The only thing that sucks about going home is that you have to wait forever for everything, but when I stop and think about it, it’s all for the good so I can deal with it.
So anyway, adios, arrivederci, this is my last blog post from the Middle East. Next time I write anything on here, I’ll be somewhere in the United States. Amazing when you think how quickly the last six months have gone by.
Before I go, I want to extend my most heartfelt thanks and gratitude to everyone who helped make this deployment a good one. You know who you are, so pat yourselves on the back, hug yourselves if possible, and hold on until I come back and see you guys. I love each and every one of you, God bless, and be good until I come home.
See you in the United States!!!
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So I’m here in Qatar with a little over 24 hours before we head home. Today we turned in our body armor (thank God, that’s 50 less pounds to lug around) and got a bunch of stuff done that we needed, so from here on out it’s just time to rest, watch movies, chill at the pool, etc. Only thing that sucks about Al Udeid Air Base is that they don’t have self-service laundry, and if you go get your stuff dry cleaned, the turnaround is 3 days.
Today I slept from about 7 AM - 3 PM. I’m only gonna be up for a few more hours because I’m so tired — we were up for all but four out of 48 hours over the last couple days — and then tomorrow is it before the plane takes off and I’m headed for Baltimore. Speaking of which, we arrive in Baltimore on Saturday afternoon (so John if you read this, I may be coming into Norfolk on Saturday night…I’ll call you when I arrive in the states and keep you posted). I’m gonna see if I can switch my flights around to where I can make it to Newport News that night.
As a quick note, I don’t have access to my Firestorm webmail over here, but I will see what I can do to gain some sort of access somehow. I’m sure I have some important emails waiting for me, but I have no way to access them.
Anyway, you all be good out there and God bless. I’m safe and sound, pass the word.
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Wow, it hasn’t even been 24 hours and the whole thing has turned into somewhat of an ugly nightmare.
We left the IZ and arrived at Baghdad Airport last night, to find out we were supposed to fly ot sometime early today…which didn’t happen because a connecting flight was canceled. So now here we are sitting in an internet cafe on Camp Victory waiting for the next flight to come on down so we can make it to Qatar. I’ve been up most of last night and the major portion of today…not good.
On top of that, we had to put all our bags in a waiting area right outside the passenger terminal, uncovered…and now it’s raining. I have three bags, one military mobility bag I don’t care much about, another bag containing a coat, my DVDs and other stuff…and finally, a hard-shell suitcase that all my clothes are in (I’m praying that one at least survives the rain).
What a mess…we should be leaving later but right now we’re playing the waiting game so keep me in your prayers. Pray also that my stuff survives getting wet.
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This is it. In about an hour I will depart from my room from the final time, walk through the doors of what was once Saddam Hussein’s Republican Palace, and out to a staging area where I will be transported to the airport. I’ve got a LOT of luggage to carry, so it’s gonna be an interesting trip out there. But it’s all for the good. I’M GOING HOME!!!
This is my last blog post in the Updates From Iraq category, seeing as this will be my final night in this country and even though I still have three days to go on my deployment, they will all be spent in Qatar as I wait for my flight to the United States.
Cheers, God bless and I will post over the next few days as I get the opportunity!
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Here’s the quick list of the top five Christian albums I’ve ever heard in my life. From rock to southern to contemporary, it’s all down here. Some of the choices may surprise you!!!
Without further adieu, here they are, my good people:
5. “Free At Last,” DC Talk
DC Talk had a couple albums before this one, and they were rather crappy save for a couple good songs (specifically “Nu Thang” and “Walls”). I remember hearing this album on the way to church one night when I was 8 or 9, and I loved it. Especially “Word 2 The Father” and “That Kinda Girl.” Now when I listen to it, I think it’s one of those albums of the early 90s that made the world take notice that Christian music in the very near future was to be taken seriously. Deep lyrics, profound expressions of their faith in Christ and a general good flow to the album make “Free at Last” number 5 here.
4. “Carman LIVE - Radically Saved!”, “The Champion,” “Addicted To Jesus,” “Revival In The Land” by Carman
Even though Carman’s career declined rapidly with the release of “Mission 3:16,” he still gets my nod as #4 for a double tag team of wonderful albums that packed a huge punch in the late 80s to early 90s. “The Champion” has one of my favorite songs of all time, “Prepare to Die,” to kick off an album that is probably one of the most bold expressions of Christian faith I’ve ever heard on a CD. “Carman LIVE - Radically Saved!” shows him at his heyday when he regularly packed out arenas with free concerts (the only thing he would ask for in return is an offering if everyone so chose to give)…it’s awesome to hear how the crowd gets involved with “No Way, We Are Not Ashamed.” I don’t remember much of “Revival In The Land,” but what I do remember of it, “God’s Got An Army,” was a powerful anthem that found its way into many churches and I still hear it sung today. Finally, “Addicted to Jesus” was a very short album, but every song on that CD spoke to me, even if a couple of them were pure cheese (such as “1955″ and “Our Turn Now”). Great list of albums and no CCM collection would be complete without at least one of them.
Continue reading ‘My Top 5 Christian Albums EVER’
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Check this out. This is the daycare that my mom works at. Just thought it was interesting…
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Just thought I’d provide a brief note and let you all know I have less than 24 hours left here in the International Zone.
It’s been great, it really has.
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Tonight I think I might have played my last basketball game here in Iraq. I told some folks I want to play tomorrow night, but I’ve got a problem with blisters (enough said) so I’m thinking an emphatic no on any more basketball. What a wonderful court, too…it was rather interesting having a bunch of rubberized mat thingys to dribble and run on, and a bunch of concrete T-walls to wall the court in. And what basketball game in Baghdad would be complete without a helicopter whizzing overhead??? Truly a court to remember.
One thought that constantly blows my mind is how much time Aftan spent with me just chatting it up online while I was over here. Hey, if you can’t have the significant other by your side, and you can’t call them, do the next best thing and chat with them using MSN or AIM. What amazes me is how even over about 10,000 miles, we grew closer together, furthered our relationship and became best friends…and a deployment is supposed to tear people apart. It didn’t do that to Aftan and I. Thank the Lord for her, because if I didn’t have her my deployment would have royally sucked. She knew just what to say when I needed to hear it, and even through troubles of her own she was there for me. I only hope I could have helped her half as much as she helped me out.
Tomorrow is Ship Everything Back To The States Day. I will be shelling out some cash to do so.
Because of this, I need sleep. God bless.
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